


To grasp you in the shadows

by boxofwonder



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, i'm so excited to be writing owls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-23 02:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3751351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxofwonder/pseuds/boxofwonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One summer night, a prince and a stranger meet in the palace gardens, and their story starts from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet me under the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aetherdrive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aetherdrive/gifts).



> A birthday present for the wonderful Ren!!!! <333  
> Thanks for destroying my heart over and over, thanks for always being there for me when I need you and when I just wanna yell, thanks for being you and thanks for being my friend. You're wonderful and amazing and you deserve the world, and since I can't give it to you, have these bokuakas!  
> (This is both a present and revenge, isn't fanfic amazing.)

He stepped out of the shadows as if he had been a part of them, but nothing about it felt strange to Bokuto, as the unknown man approached him. The prince had been looking up into the dark, solemn night sky peppered with stars, marvelling at their beauty, but found even they paled, as he set eyes on the features he could make out in the half-light out here.

Something about the man gave Bokuto the strange feeling he might not be used to being greeted with warm smiles, so he tried to make up for that, if only a little.

"A beautiful night, isn't it?", the stranger asked him, with a voice so smooth, so calm, it did not disrupt the silence of the night. Bokuto stretched where he was lying in the cool grass, not giving a damn about how later, they’d nag about him getting his robes in disarray again. What were some stains against the satisfaction of watching the stars on a summer night, of getting away from tasks and expectations and just being able to breathe freely, for a few precious hours?

“Yeah,” Bokuto replied, easily. “Wanna join me?”

The man looked at him, a slender eyebrow raising in what Bokuto mistook for being appalled, before the subtle tilt of the man’s lips gave away his amusement. It made Bokuto wonder what the man would look like, smiling, really smiling.

Used to the noblemen and women of the court, Bokuto did not expect the man to sink down next to him in the grass, paying no mind to the state of his suit. An even wider grin spread on his lips. Having left in a mood so dark it felt like even the night was brighter, he found that perhaps, there might just be a chance for this evening to turn around.

“What are you doing, so far away from the celebration?”, the man asked him, his gaze towards the sky. Bokuto crossed his arms under his head. He liked his voice, and he liked the way he spoke to him like there was no birth heritage, inherently separating him from most of the people around him.

The stranger probably didn’t even know he was speaking to the prince himself. Why else would he have just sat down, his legs crossed, next to him in the grass? Just the two of them, alone in the palace gardens, as if it was the most normal thing to meet like this and talk openly. Bokuto wished it was.

But hey, he’d appreciate this chance all the more.

“Just needed some fresh air. What about you? Haven’t even seen ‘ya around. Not in the mood for dancing?”

To be honest, Bokuto wasn’t either. Not the kind of dances that were expected of him, anyhow. They’d didn’t have enough fire and movement to capture his attention, to do more than bore him to death. A lot of his life was spent like that, actually - living through all his lessons, trying to pay enough attention to be a proper enough heir, clinging to the promise of afternoons, of fencing and riding lessons and the precious hours of free time he could fill however he liked. Unfortunately, those were scarce. Even this one, right now, was only snuck in because otherwise he would’ve buckled under the pressure.

But all his thoughts were left unspoken, in the silence between them. And the man’s eyes didn’t meet his, as he answered.

“I don’t find dancing particularly appealing.”

“Then you haven’t really danced yet in your life!”, Bokuto laughed, thinking of the dances that the servant boys and girls had taught him, when the world was spinning so fast it was reduced to the vertigo and your own laughter spilling from your mouth, breathlessly, snatched away by the movement as you lost any sense of up and down and left and right.

And then, so sudden it almost startled Bokuto, the man had moved closer, his skin illuminated by the light of the moon breaking free from its hideout of thick clouds, but his eyes darker than before, if that was possible. As if clouds had drawn together there, blocking any light. Bokuto could not read them in the slightest, but he found that he wanted, almost needed to.

His lips curled into a smile.

“Want me to show you?”

The other man blinked as if waking up and drew back, bringing more distance between them abruptly. But he didn’t actually answer, simply brought the fingertips of his hands together, not quite meeting his eyes.

With a warm, genuine smile, Bokuto offered his hand.

“I bet you’d love it.”

“You sound awfully confident.” But it sounded curious, a little playful, maybe. Or was Bokuto imagining that? It didn’t really matter.

He kept offering his hand, kept smiling.

“I have reason to! C’mon, let me show you!”

Unexpectedly, the man huffed a breathless, disbelieving laugh and took his hand. Fuelled by surprise and sudden excitement, Bokuto pushed himself up so fast, he practically pulled the stranger to his feet with him.

The grin settling on his face was so wide and genuine, Bokuto felt like himself again, much more than he had felt all day, ever since he’d woken to a schedule packed so full, only tomorrow seemed worth to survive for. But now, he was here, eagerly searching the face of the stranger for signs of the same giddiness which was slowly, but inescapably flooding his body.

The dark, closed off look had vanished from the stranger’s eyes. They almost glinted, looking back at him, and the hand entwined with his felt warm, against the shiver the night air drew from him.

“First of all, no shoes allowed,” Bokuto said, mostly to snap himself out of his own trance.

“No shoes allowed?”, the man repeated, sounding clearly amused now.

“Never dance on a summer night with your shoes on.”

“I’ve never heard of that before.” But the stranger moved to kick off his shoes anyway.

Bokuto tossed his own away without much regard to them, suddenly a big bundle of expectant excitement.

“Then you’ve been around the wrong people!”

“Clearly.” The man shifted his feet on the grass, as if unsure whether he enjoyed or loathed the new sensation of feeling it like this. “We don’t even have music.”

Bokuto offered his hand again instead of answering, drew the man closer abruptly as he took it, so that their faces were barely inches apart, and the stranger had to tilt his head up the slightest bit to meet his gaze, looking at him without an ounce of hesitation. Meeting him head-on.

Holy hell, Bokuto _liked_ this guy.

“We don’t need music,” he told him, lowering his voice.

“If you say so,” the stranger whispered back, a little distractedly, as he let Bokuto guide his hands, his shoulders, his feet into the right position.

“Try to keep up, relax, and follow my lead,” Bokuto breathed, feeling another rush of giddiness, of sheer joy. All evening his body had been aching for this, to move without restrictions, without expectations, to move just to _feel_ , to move just to _move_.

This wouldn’t have much to do with the dances he’d learned, as it was just two of them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have some fun.

He closed his eyes, and when he breathed, his lungs expanded easily, thirsty for oxygen, for a taste of freedom.

And he started moving.

The other man gave a muffled noise of surprise at first, as Bokuto quickly stepped back, pulling him right after, his steps fast and sure where his were just trying to keep up, but that was to be expected. Rather than dancing, it felt a more like pushing him around at first, but the man kept up anyway, figuring it out as they went. Remarkably nimble, actually.

When Bokuto pushed him away again and raised his arm, without hesitation, the man melted into it, spun around and right back into Bokuto’s arms. A huge grin spread on the prince’s face, as his hand came to rest on the man’s hip.

They had synched up so easily, Bokuto wanted to throw his head back and laugh at the rush of joy, but instead, they kept moving, kept going.

He could _feel_ it, when the other man started getting into it, too, really into it. Not just keeping up, but responding to him so fluently, his feet picking up pace. Moving with less stumble, moving without a care, as if music was compelling him to.

But the only music for them was the quiet of the night, their harsh breathing and the rough thunder of Bokuto’s heart in his chest.

A breathless gust of laughter did escape him, when the other man spun back into him another time, their faces close and their gaze on each other for a full, perfect second, and then something glinted in his eyes and suddenly it was him taking control.

Baffled, Bokuto let him, and found himself spinning around himself, caught by the man and sent spinning again, in circles going wilder and wilder, and suddenly, it almost seemed like they were teasing each other.

Almost wobbly on his feet, Bokuto turned it back around on the man, spun and spun him around, barely granting him a second enough to catch his breath as they danced back and forth, their feet constantly almost-tangling, not-quite stepping on each other, legs brushing, hands touching, their faces close time and time again. Bokuto’s hands found his way to the man’s hip over and over, simply because he loved the feeling that rang with it, loved the way they connected so easily, so breathlessly. He could almost feel sparks flit across his skin, anytime the man turned it around on him, took control and dragged him into his own pace.

As if he’d been holding back all day as well, yearning to let loose, ready to thake the chance of dancing with someone in the middle of the night, feet bare on the grass, spinning and spinning until it was hard not to laugh uncontrollably and topple over.

Until he could forget about all of it, just for these perfect moments.

Something warm spread in his chest, filled with a sense of companionship, as if they were forging a connection beyond their movements and the seconds their eyes met and challenged each other.

 _I understand_ , he wanted to say, but instead, he held on tight to the man’s hand.

 _I understand you_ , he didn’t voice, and instead, wrapped his arm around the man’s hip, pulling him closer than necessary, closer than normal for this kind of dance, secretly grateful that there were no other dancers, no switching of partners each new turn.

They’d strayed from it beyond recognition anyway, caught up in their unvoiced butting of heads, intent on making each other dizzy, a challenging glint in their eyes and their smiles each time they came face to face again.

They were simply spinning together now, for no reason whatsoever, close and closer. Bokuto’s skin was prickling and with each heartbeat he felt more alive. They went around faster, faster and faster still, his feet barely able to keep up. His sense of balance going out of whack at the speed of an arrow fired, gone way too fast, almost instantly.

And then, he saw the wide smile, almost a grin, carefree and beautiful on the other man’s face, and it was the most beautiful thing he had set eyes on in his life.

Bokuto opened his mouth - to do what exactly? - he didn’t know, just that he did, and almost bit his tongue, when he finally lost his footing and went down with a huge yelp. They toppled apart, stubbornly refusing to let go of each other, the man’s hand firmly clutched in his right as he went down hard.

The chilly grass felt good on his hot skin, and Bokuto’s chest was heaving. He blinked up at the spinning night sky, and broke into howling, careless laughter. To his right, the man snorted, then broke into a laughing fit himself, much different from Bokuto’s laughter. A lot more quiet, but the sound filled the night, filled his heart, smooth and beautiful.

Bokuto never wanted to let this moment flit from his memory, lying in the grass with the sky overhead and the world underneath spinning at once, out of breath and listening to the man next to him laugh.

He joined him again, and they lay like this, not quite able to catch their breath, breaking into laughter time and time again.

Eventually, the dizziness evened out a little, just enough for Bokuto to roll on his side and look at him properly, still holding the stranger’s hand in his.

“Told you,” he said, his heart dancing still as his words were met with a smile.

“I guess,” the man breathed back at him, and Bokuto’s heart skipped with even more joy, thinking that he could coax that tiny smile onto his face, that they had connected so easily, how they -- how --

“What’s your name,” he blurted, suddenly realising he didn’t have an inkling of an idea. And he _needed_ to know.

“Akaashi,” the man told him, and what a beautiful name, so fitting of him. But as it rolled over his tongue, something seemed to change, to shift. Akaashi pulled his hand from Bokuto’s grasp, his fingers left cold and lonely, and sat up abruptly.

“I - I’ll have to leave.”

Bokuto struggled up as well, still a little dizzy as he watched Akaashi hastily push his feet back into his socks and shoes. The disappointment welling up in him almost choked him up, such a hard backlash from the euphoria moments ago.

“Will I see you again?”

Akaashi turned away from him, his fists clenched at his side. He did not look at him, and his voice sounded flat, almost empty.

“I promise you will.”

And with that, he was gone, a shadow slipping back into the night as suddenly as he had come, and he left Bokuto sitting in the grass, his feet bare, his hands empty, and his heart still beating way too hard.


	2. Of lost boys and music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was 300 words into this chapter this morning and had an entire work day, but I wrote any free minute aND NOW THIS IS A 5K MONSTER, fucking incredible. 
> 
> (Working with kids is a lot like this chapter - those cheeky brats force themselves into your field of vision, demand attention, cost you nerves but they're so cute you can't even hate them for it.)

“You look like hell,” Kuroo stated, already on stretching. Bokuto rubbed the stains on his hands, left from furiously scribbling all night. Not that he was satisfied with how it had gone. Akaashi’s face was slipping from his memory fast and faster, and he hadn’t gotten his smile on paper properly, let alone the twinkle in his eyes. Half the crumpled papers were smudged over with messy lines which couldn’t capture the beauty, the spark about their encounter, the colour to his cheeks after their dance and that little smile which had felt more precious than anything ever given to Bokuto before.  

“Celebration took a lot outta you?”, Kuroo asked, snapping Bokuto back to the now. “Thought you left early. Everyone got all -” He pulled a face and bent his fingers in a way that looked a little like claws to explain, breaking into an easy little grin strained around the edges. He’d probably spent half his evening trying to calm people down who were in sheer disarray simply because for the fact that Bokuto had needed a breather for the fiftieth time.

“Well, y’know how they get,” Kuroo said, relaxing his hands, wincing slightly. “You’d think they’d learn and get used to it, but nah.”

Bokuto raised his hands over his head, revelling in the feeling of his muscles stretching, his joints popping, his eyes teary from a big yawn as he slowly felt like finally coming back to life.

“Just needed to catch a break, y’know how it is.”

“Yeah, I do. But for real - what kept you up so long?” Something sharp and curious flashed in Kuroo’s eyes. “You’re barely even awake yet. I’m gonna kick your ass today.”

“In your dreams!”, Bokuto proclaimed, getting to his warm-up, trying to fight off the smile which involuntarily broke out on his face as he so much as thought about last night. Sometimes it still hit him with the shadowy hint of that spark from yesterday, a little shock of electricity running through his veins.

Scribbled across the abandoned pages he’d counted on for help to remember his stranger, exactly as he was, there it was, his name a broken poem scribbles across pages in a desperate attempt of defying Bokuto’s mind which seemed intent on forgetting about it all. The most precious memory.

_ Akaashi. _

Tangled in his sheets and with the dim morning light in his eyes, for a second after he had woken, Bokuto had thought of it all as a dream. Only the crumpled and haphazardly tossed pages scattered all across his desk had sent a flood of warmth rushing over him, running all through him with the insistent current of a stream full of rain. 

It had been more than just a dream. 

And Akaashi’s promise to see him again was still ringing in his mind.

“ You’re grinning like Shouyou grins when someone sneaks him sweets again.” Kuroo flicked his temple, and then gave a slow whistle. “Holy fuck. You  _ met  _ someone!”

The word  _ someone  _ held so many possibilities of what Akaashi might become to him, new and exciting like the first breath of a breeze after being trapped in the dusty old library for hours on end studying the history of the kingdom. A sense of relief and a promise of … something else.

_ Met someone _ .

Such an easy sentence, and yet it implied such special things.

Bokuto couldn’t help his grin only widening.

“Who are they and where did you even find them?! Is it a commoner?! This gossip is so juicy, wait ‘til Suga hears about it. Oh, holy shit, this is fuckin’ exciting.”

“He’s not - or is he? Uh, I’m not sure, actually?”

Bokuto shrugged and went for a smile which didn’t help at all with Kuroo looking at him as if he was the biggest idiot on the planet.

Somehow, this only showed how little he knew about his encounter. Nothing, except for his name.

“How can you not be sure.” Kuroo squinted even harder at him. “Oh no you didn’t. Tell me you’re gonna see this mystery stranger again. Tell me you know who he is!”

For a second, Bokuto could almost feel the cool grass under his cheek again, feel his chest heaving, his fingers linked with Akaashi’s as they smiled at each other.

His heart squeezed together painfully.

“His name’s Akaashi. ...  he said we’d see each other again.”

“When. Where.”

Kuroo asked as if he already knew the answer, but was still clinging to the hope that Bokuto hadn’t done the dumbest thing possible, which - granted, really had been his worst life decision so far. Why had he just kept lying in the grass? Why hadn’t he gotten up and stumbled after Akaashi, asking him everything Kuroo was asking him right now?

Maybe it had been something about his posture, about the way he vanished.

Maybe it had just been Bokuto’s own stupidity.

“I don’t know,” he answered, and as he did, suddenly he felt anxious that he might never see him again after all.

“Oh my God,” Kuroo groaned. “This is -”

“The worst?”

“Yeah.”

Bokuto tried to laugh it off a little, but suddenly, all the warmth from before was gone and left him feeling stupid and helpless. Of course he’d never see Akaashi again - this had all been dumb from the beginning. What had he been thinking? What reason would the stranger even  _ have  _ to return? A dumb little dance in the middle of the night? That wasn’t -

Kuroo lightly touched his shoulder and made Bokuto jerk.

“C’mon, let’s get going.”

His tone of voice was gentle, but firm. He didn’t wait for Bokuto to follow him, instead took his sleeve between his fingers and went ahead. The soft pull on the fabric and a way to go, a task at hand - Bokuto could escape the spiral of dark thoughts which had begun, and with a blade comfortably in his hands and Kuroo across from him as the first rays of sun painted flecks on the dusty arena ground, his mind took a break as his body howled with the joy of going all out.

“Don’t hold back!”, he called.

“In your dreams! I’m gonna kick your ass today!”

  
  


\---

  
  


“Prince Bokuto!”

The voice was completely drowned out in the cheers of the knights gathered around them. Komi’s voice rang the loudest as he yelled for Bokuto to ‘GIVE HIM HELL!’ and broke into laughter when, as a reaction, Kuroo got Bokuto in a grip and flipped him on his back, landing on top of him and fighting to pin him down.

With a grunt, Bokuto tried to give him some of his own medicine, but to no avail - Kuroo grinned down at him with the most cheshire-cat like smirk.

“Anything wrong, Your Highness?”

“ You fucker,” Bokuto hissed back, still struggling to find a weakness in the way Kuroo restrained him. Like most days, they’d abandoned their weapons eventually and ended up sparring instead, a great fun with about as many threats, curse words and provocation one could utter with the air pressed out of them because  _ goddamn Kuroo was seriously too heavy _ .

“Come on, Prince!”, he could hear Konoha through the cheers. “I bet money on this.”

With a sudden jerk, Bokuto managed to throw Kuroo off his concentration and to flip them both sideways. He could hear a soft ‘oof’ from Kuroo as he hit the ground, and wrestled himself free, all over his friend and favourite arch nemesis of choice in an instant, trying to pin him down in turn.

“Asshole -”, he could hear Kuroo wheeze, and started to reply “Eat dust,” but a firm grip on his shoulder made him freeze mid-fight and -sentence. The knights fell silent instantly.

“Now, now. Is this kind of behaviour becoming of a nobleman like you?”, Nekomata asked him, his voice stern, but when Bokuto turned around, he could see a smile twinkle in his eyes. Bokuto broke into an answering grin.

“Sorry, sorry! I guess you want me to put my shirt back on.”

“If you would please. I’d also appreciate if you let my son go now, so everyone here -”

His gaze swept across the silent knights, who were rightfully terrified to have been caught slacking off by their master.

“Can get back to double the training regimen today.”

The knights knew better than to complain, a tired chorus of “Understood” all their answer before they turned and left them behind. Kuroo pushed himself up, groaning a little at the no doubt forming bruises. Sparring sessions were nothing for the fragile hearted.

“I’ll see ya later, Bo.”

Kuroo took off to catch up with the others without even putting his shirt back on, struggling with it over his head as he ran. Bokuto tried to keep his laughter about that image in check, still feeling as if he was in trouble, even when Nekomata had always been kind to him and granted him a safe space to calm down many, many times. As much as he was a father to Kuroo ever since he’d taken him in, he was a stern, but kind uncle to him.

“What’s up?”, he asked, not deeming it particularly necessary to return to the formal language he was forced to speak in most of his day.

“As far as I know, your music lessons are next on your schedule, am I correct?”

Bokuto tried to smile like a guy who had totally not planned on skipping music lessons in favour of staying with his friends and spending the next hour with more sparring and sword play.

“That is correct, yes.”

“Well, you would not want to be late and disturb the court further, would you? As they seem to be in huge disarray since your brother can not be found anywhere.”

There was something cat-like, something sharp to the old man’s smile as he spoke, like a little secret between them, and Bokuto loved it.

“Jeez, did Shouyou run off again?”

“If only there was someone who could find him without fail,” Nekomata mused, tapping his chin as he turned away. “Well, for now you should hurry. Your music lessons are waiting, Prince.”

“Who’d I be if I didn’t learn how to play the lute,” Bokuto called over his shoulder and took off to go find his little brother.

  
  


\---

  
  


Bokuto had reached the outskirts of the palace grounds, where the small forest started and the trees grew taller, more wild, closer and closer together, when he met him this time.

Somehow, he wasn’t even surprised as Akaashi stepped out of the shadows there. A rush of relief and joy almost made him dizzy with how strongly it took hold of him, because suddenly all his worries and fears couldn’t touch him anymore. Because Akaashi really was here, really had returned to him.

“You came back.”

Akaashi seemed to wince the slightest bit, but it might've been Bokuto's imagination, because next he knew the man stepped closer towards him as if the laws of this world compelled him to, like rain and lightning always found their way down to earth.

“What are you doing out here?”, Bokuto asked, because there was a very small part of him wondering why exactly they would meet here. Maybe it had simply been fate?

“I could ask you the same question.”

Akaashi's voice sounded a little strange again, like it had sounded when he had told Bokuto that they'd meet each other again.

“I'm looking for my brother. In fact, his treehouse is nearby – would you accompany me?”

“Your … brother,” Akaashi repeated, suddenly looking troubled.

“Don't worry! He's a little loud, but not louder than me, as everyone tells me!” He laughed, feeling a little unsure because Akaashi still didn't show any sign that he would smile back at him today. Maybe he really hadn't wanted to meet him after all.

But why else would he be here?

“He's a real sweetheart, and everyone's worried because he ran off again. So big brother Bokuto is coming to the rescue!”

He pointed a thumb at himself, deflating a little when Akaashi still seemed as if he didn't even want to be here. Maybe all of this had been a huge misunderstanding. But part of him didn't want to believe it – so he did what had worked once already, offered his hand, and smiled.

“Do you want to come with?”

“I …”

Akaashi took a deep breath, and hesitated for so long, Bokuto was about to lower his hand, trying to swallow down his disappointment, when Akaashi seemed to reach out in a split-second decision, his fingers cool against Bokuto's warm hand. Bokuto tried his best to keep in a surprised, happy burst of laughter.

“It'll be my pleasure.”

  
  


\---

  
  


Bokuto could hear the unmistakable voice of his brother in the trees overhead before he could see them.

“There he is,” Bokuto said, shooting Akaashi a grin. Somehow, he was still loosely holding on to his companion's hand, Akaashi's fingers warm by now. With the fresh morning air and the birds greeting the new day overhead, silence wrapping around them like a warm cloak in winter, Bokuto found this morning to be of exceptional beauty and joy.

Apparently, Shouyou didn't think so in the slightest, though.

“I'm gonna stab them all then!”, he was currently shouting.

“That's not very nice!”, Bokuto called up.

Shouyou's head poked out from the treehouse. His brows were furrowed in an over-the-top attempt of copying Tanaka's death glare.

“Go! Awaaay!”, he screamed at the top of his lungs, taking a breath in between the words. Huffing, his head vanished back into the house.

Bokuto shot Akaashi a slightly apologetic smile.

“He's not usually like this. Give me a second to find out what's going on.”

He let go of Akaashi's hand, missing the touch already as he climbed up the ladder. As soon as he poked his head through, a wooden sword hit his head with a thump and made dull pain shoot through his head from his temple.

“Ow – what the –“

“G-go away!”, Shouyou demanded again, his sword raised in trembling hands. Rubbing at his temple, Bokuto squinted up at his brother, taken aback as he could see a tiny figure curled up behind his brother, unbearably wide blue eyes staring at him, swimming in fear.

Oh.

“Is that your friend?”, Bokuto asked, softly, resolving to let Shouyou's attack go.

“Go away! We're living here now!”

Bokuto crossed his arms on the treehouse floor, still balancing on the ladder.

“Don't you think mother will miss you?”

Shouyou only shrugged, but he'd lowered his sword a little.

“Can't help it.”

Bokuto looked a little more closer at the bundle trembling behind Hinata. All he could see was unkempt dark hair, those terrified eyes, and arms which seemed way too thin, clutching tattered clothes which seemed too wide and yet not enough.

It reminded him far too much of the first time he'd met Kuroo.

“Hello there. I'm Koutarou, Shouyou's brother. What's your name?”

The kid raised its head a little, with a determined kind of pout.

“Tobio.”

“That's a nice name! So, Tobio, Shouyou. Y'know what I think we should do now? How about a trip to Asahi's?”

Tobio glared at him with so much distrust, Bokuto wouldn't have been surprised if that look would have pushed him right off the ladder. But Shouyou's eyes only widened with some hope.

“You won't tell mother?”

Bokuto shook his head no to put his little brother at ease, but resolved to find out what exactly Tobio's situation was. If he did have a family he could simply send him back home with a big bag full of food for them in tow, but if he didn't – then Bokuto would have to talk to Nekomata.

He couldn't leave a starving little boy to his own devices.

“It's fine, Tobio! Asahi is awesome! He'll treat us to all the food you can imagine!”

The way Tobio's eyes widened and lit up at that broke Bokuto's heart.

“So will you come with us now? You can eat in the kitchen and I'll tell everyone to stop worrying and cover for you, okay?”

With a clatter, Shouyou dropped his sword and fell to his knees to awkwardly hug Bokuto's head.

“You're the best!”

Bokuto's laughter was muffled in Shouyou's shirt.

“Alright, alright. Let me down or you'll never get your food!”

Shouyou let go of him immediately, and Bokuto climbed back down, a pleasant spark of surprise running through him as he found Akaashi patiently waiting for him, looking at him with a warmth in his eyes that made his cheeks ready to burn.

“He made a new friend and is worried for him,” he explained. “He's a good boy.”

Akaashi smiled in a way which made Bokuto think he knew exactly what kind of power he held over him.

“I guess it runs in the family.”

Bokuto laughed, mostly to cover up how flustered he actually was.

“That was so smooth! Hey, you don't even know me yet! Maybe I'm just a huge idiot.”

“I'm afraid that's not the case.”

Bokuto smiled at Akaashi, grateful for the excuse when he could turn around and pluck Shouyou off the ladder to put him back on the ground – who protested that he was a big boy now and didn't need any help. Which might have been true, he was really growing at an awfully fast rate, but part of Bokuto would probably always see him as his little baby brother.

Also, it meant Akaashi couldn’t see just how badly he was getting to him. 

Shouyou turned around to squint at Akaashi when he was done with his rant, putting his fists on his hips.

“ And who're  _ you _ ?”

“I'm Akaashi,” he answered simply. “I happened to meet your brother on his way here.”

Frowning, Shouyou tilted his head, still scrutinizing Akaashi.

“Are you his friend?”

Their gaze met over Shouyou's head, and it made Bokuto's fingertips prickle again, unsure whether he should be grateful to Shouyou or curse him for the question which Akaashi's eyes were asking.

“Yeah, he's my friend,” he said, then, still looking at Akaashi to see whether he'd overstepped any boundaries. But apparently he hadn't, which made him happy until Shouyou blurted his next sentence.

“When I look at you I can barely see!”

Akaashi's eyes widened in shock, and Bokuto felt immediately guilty even when it hadn't been him but Shouyou to cause that kind of expression.

“That's rude, Shouyou. Don't say these kind of things. Come on, go help Tobio get down here, alright?”

Bokuto ushered him away, and Akaashi still looked a little taken aback and pale around his nose, even when he was rapidly getting his composure back. This strange comment had been absolutely uncalled for and Bokuto could only apologise for it.

“I'm sorry. Y'know how kids are – saying all kinds of weird things and jumping from one thought to the next.”

Akaashi licked his lips, and Bokuto found himself momentarily distracted by the realisation of how soft and kissable his lips looked. But … only for a moment. Honestly. 

“It's no big deal. I guess …” He took a second and there was that glint again in his eyes. “I honestly am too pretty.”

His tone stayed so dead-pan that it took Bokuto a second to realise he'd been joking, and when it hit him, he couldn't help but break into laughter, startling the two boys a few steps away from them for a second. He pressed a hand to his mouth, muffling the laughter, and couldn’t stop looking at Akaashi who seemed so  _ pleased  _ with himself for making him laugh like this.

“It's true though,” he muttered, before he abruptly turned around to reassure the boys. 

Tobio still reminded him too much of Kuroo at their first encounter – lost and filled with distrust his fate had put into his heart, but his hands in tiny fist and fighting will burning in his eyes. He didn't seem to trust Bokuto, and Akaashi even less.

But when Shouyou took his hand, something like a tiny smile was seen on his constantly frowning face, and it amazed Bokuto to see how much Shouyou could light up anything around him. He'd made the decision to change Tobio's world and protect that smile, no doubt, and Bokuto knew if stubborn Shouyou put his mind to something, he'd achieve it.

Perhaps there was a great friendship in the making here.

“Your brother really does have a heart of gold, doesn't he?”, Akaashi asked quietly, next to him. Bokuto pulled himself up to his full height, pleased with the praise for Shouyou.

“You bet he has! Been raised the right way, that little guy, but he was exceptional from the first day! He laughed once and the entire kingdom fell for him! Little ray of sunshine, refuses to ever give up. He's always honest and doing his best and dreaming big! He's gonna grow up a fine man!”

Bokuto watched Shouyou’s back, who’d taken Tobio’s hand to pull him over towards a hollowed out tree which had fallen when Bokuto had been as young as his brother and had fascinated him just the same, back then. As worried as he had been at first, when his father had married again, there was no better stepmother he could wish for and he was grateful everyday for his siblings. Natsu was still very young, but already seemed to take after her brother, all energy and smiles which could light up the entire room, and Bokuto was sure she would grow up the finest princess. 

When he became aware of Akaashi next to him again, the other man looked at him with that same warmth which this time, without fail, made Bokuto blush an embarrassingly dark shade of red. 

“What is it?!” 

Akaashi’s smile grew just the slightest bit wider and he looked up to the sky. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought that you’re a wonderful brother.” 

Bokuto opened his mouth, unable to utter a word. Compliments were a given in his life, not a day passed without someone offering him a kind word or two, but Bokuto did not care for manners or looks, and knew that Kuroo was the better swordsman of them both, no matter what anyone else said. But this … this compliment hit him, deep, meant so much, filled him with unbearable joy. 

A wonderful brother. Even when the world insisted that he was a prince, first and foremost, wasn’t it so much more important to be a great brother, a great friend? 

Bokuto looked down, not quite able to do anything much than smile, unabashed and uncontrollably.

“Thank you -” 

“There is nothing that you should thank me for,” Akaashi replied, short and clipped. 

“And I will thank you anyway, for brightening a dark evening and making me smile.” 

Bokuto looked over at Akaashi to see whether he could make him smile as much, only to find Akaashi stumbling over his own two feet. He easily kept his balance, but his face had turned into the dorkiest expression for a split-second and Bokuto dissolved back into laughter, earning himself a squinting glare.

“Sorry, sorry - oh, man, that expression just now was gold!” 

“You were blushing bright red just a moment ago,” Akaashi informed him calmly, but with great joy to be reminding him of the fact.

It only made Bokuto grin much, much more widely.

“Do you know that you’re blushing, too, right now?” 

Akaashi seemed taken off guard again, before he sped up his steps a little. 

“You must be kidding me.” 

“Not at all! That’s the best part about it!” 

“For a prince you’re awfully cheeky, do you know that?” 

It was Bokuto’s turn to falter in his steps, almost stumble over his own two feet. He stared at Akaashi’s back, his mind going blank for just a second.

Akaashi knew. 

He knew about him. And yet he was treating him like this? Casually walking through the forest with him to find the lost little prince, bickering back and forth and comfortably sharing smiles as if they’d known each other for much longer than merely a day. 

“You know I’m the prince.” 

Akaashi’s shoulders were tense, and he didn’t reply anything for far too long. The tense silence left Bokuto more nervous than appropriate for this situation, as if there was something else, something bigger, something Akaashi wasn’t telling him - and then Shouyou barged back in, running an eight around the two of them and tugging at Bokuto’s hand. 

“Brother, brother! Look what we found!” 

On his small palm were a few snail shells, one already crumbled from his strong grip on them. 

“They’re beautiful,” Bokuto told him and enjoyed the way Shouyou beamed at him in return for it. 

“Okay then!” 

He closed his grip around the shells again and walked towards Akaashi, sticking out his hand. 

“They’re for you! Sorry for saying stuff that made you go ‘uurgh’!” 

Bokuto was almost jealous of the way Akaashi looked at Shouyou, so full of adoration and fondness. 

“That’s very sweet of you, thank you.” 

“So you forgive me?!” 

“Of course.” 

Shouyou raised his hands and jumped into the air, cheering, accidentally dropping all the snail shells, which rained around him and fell into the grass. Akaashi ruffled Shouyou’s hair and reassured him that it was fine, and Shouyou promised to give Akaashi a part of his dessert instead. 

“Asahi’s desserts are the best! You’ll see!” 

“I know.” Akaashi looked at Bokuto over Shouyou’s head. “I'm the new music teacher here,” he told him, and of course, now it made sense. Akaashi had probably known who he was from the very beginning. It had been naive to think any different.  

When Bokuto looked at his beautiful hands this time, it seemed perfect – hands made to enchant with song, to coax the most beautiful melodies from fragile instruments.

Maybe he could start liking music lessons after all, now. 

“Oh, music! I, uh, love music lessons -” 

“He hates it!”, Shouyou declared with a wide grin, and then he raised his hand to his mouth, obviously trying to keep this between Akaashi and himself, but failing as usual to whisper properly.

“He always skips his lessons!”

“Thanks, Shouyou, you're a great wingman,” Bokuto muttered under his breath, not really meant for anyone to hear. 

But Shouyou's eyes widened with an unmistakable spark which told Bokuto to fear the worst, as the mouth of his little brother dropped open for a breathless moment of processing the information, before all his excitement exploded.

“A wingman?! Like a man with wings?! Uwaaaah!”

He jumped up to his feet, sticking out his arms like wings, and sprinted across the grass, shouting: “Tobio! Tobio! I'm a wingmaaaan!”

His friend seemed utterly confused, but awkwardly stuck out his hands and followed Shouyou anyway.

Bokuto buried his face in his hands, but through a peek of his fingers, he could see that Akaashi was looking at him with a soft, fond little smile which made it even harder for Bokuto to look at him and meet his eyes. 

This had to be the most embarrassing moment of his life. 

Unfortunately, the world didn’t show him any kindness in form of a hole opening up to swallow him forever. All he got was a brother who very loudly pretended to have wings and Akaashi, who was by now muffling honest to God  _ giggling  _ in his fist. And that, that gave Bokuto the rest. 

He’d bequeath Kuroo his sword. 

The rest of the way, they walked in silence, and Bokuto kept sneaking little glances at Akaashi, their smiles towards each other growing a little wider each time their eyes met. Somehow Bokuto didn’t want to reach the castle, just keep walking - but there was a hungry little boy whose fate Bokuto still wanted to change. 

When the castle came in sight, Shouyou came to hide behind Bokuto, Tobio in tow.

“They won’t - you’ll protect Tobio, too, right?”, Shouyou asked, his hands clenching and unclenching restlessly. He was probably missing his wooden sword now. 

Bokuto reached down to ruffle his hair. 

“Of course I will. I’m your big brother! Nobody’s gonna be mean to him. Let’s get food and talk a little, just us, alright?” 

Both boys nodded, even though he had a feeling Tobio mostly did it only because Shouyou had done so too. But that was fine with him. Whatever his situation, Bokuto knew for a fact he’d get to see Tobio more often from now on, and would hopefully gain his trust over time. 

It took him a little to figure out that Akaashi had stopped walking. Since they’d reached the entry to the kitchen anyway, Bokuto sent the boys ahead and turned back to where Akaashi still stood, not quite meetin his eyes. 

Somehow he had a feeling that goodbye had come for them again, even without a word said between them. 

Since he hadn’t been at the castle for long, Akaashi probably had many, many things to do other than sharing a meal in the kitchen with two princes determined to try and take care of a lost boy. Bokuto couldn’t help but wish for him to stay, though. There were still a million questions burning on his tongue. 

“Maybe I wouldn’t skip your lessons,” was all he said instead, trying to get a last little smile from him. But Akaashi’s eyes seemed dark again, and Bokuto felt like he was failing, whatever it was that they had. Or didn’t have. 

“Will you meet me again tomorrow?” 

Akaashi wouldn’t meet his eyes. 

“I really shouldn’t.” 

“I shouldn’t regularly wrestle my best friend half-naked and yet I still do it so - it’s not a matter of ‘should’!” 

Wait, that. Wow, that had sounded … very bad. Holy fuck. He should stop talking. 

Akaashi actually snorted in response. 

“That sure is a colourful way of putting it.” 

Bokuto fidgeted, licked his lips nervously. 

“Enough to convince you?” 

“I’m afraid so. Now take care of your brother and his friend, will you?” 

“Of course. And you take care of … instruments. Or whatever it is that you do.” 

Akaashi reached up his hand, but hesitated mid-air, as if surprised and appalled at his own actions, leaving Bokuto craving whatever he’d been about to do, whatever he’d decided against. 

“There’s a twig in your hair,” he muttered, and then, a little louder: “Take care, Bokuto.” 

With that, he turned and left, far too quickly. 

Bokuto reached up and distractedly tried to get the twig out of his hair. 

Even when they hadn’t been spinning around this time, even when Bokuto was standing with his feet on the ground, somehow he still felt dizzy. 

He guessed it was one of Akaashi’s talents.

 


End file.
